January, 2011

Not
only is January that month that falls after the "big winter break", but
it is often the time - especially for our newest teachers - that
teaching begins to click. One realizes that half the year is gone, and
that one actually does know something about being a teacher. With that
often comes a renewed sense of energy in moving forward with the
curriculum.

In
the Alumni Support Project, we also feel that push to move ahead.
Summer Curriculum Workshop is around the corner, and we already need to
reserve a time for next year's retreat! Our tefilah action
research project has taken off with a dozen participants (see article
below) and we are planning the next "new initiative" project for our
more veteran graduates. Amanda, Susan and David are making additional
trips to visit alumni in their schools.

Please
be sure to read the newsletter in its entirety. There are a number of
important announcements, and the Education Corner focuses on graphic
organizers - which was not covered in your pre-service training here at
Pardes. Here is an opportunity to expand your repertoire with a
technique critical for all ages.

The Pardes Educators Alumni Support Project is funded by a generous grant from the Jim Joseph Foundation.

Dvar Torah - Evan Wolkenstein (Cohort 1)

Evan has
been teaching at the Jewish Community High School of the Bay, San
Francisco, CA since 2006. In addition to teaching, Evan is the Director
of Experiential Education. Evan previously taught at Gann Academy and
The Weber School.

The Joy of the Future

I'm
spending the weekend with a friend, a stay-at-home dad. His wife is
away, leading a local Jewish Congregation, and we are confined to the
home. He washes loads of clothing.
He nudges his daughter to turn off the television and use the crafts
basket. He feeds the baby "beek" (which, I've learned, means "grapes"),
and insists, with a stern expression, that "beek" does not belong on the
floor. I watch and write. My friend is creative and independent and
struggles with his burdens like any man would, and though he is not the
international rock legend he once dreamed of being, he's still sculpting
a masterpiece: working always, advising often, recording sometimes, and
being a father, 24/7.

The Jewish calendar during this month brings us an important message about parenting. First, we meet Moshe Rabbeinu's
father-in-law, Yitro. Yitro unites Moshe with his wife and children;
he'd been caring for family, during the dangerous days of the
pre-Exodus. Yitro greets his son-in-law warmly, and after seeing Moshe's
techniques in national leadership, instructs plainly: "The thing you
are doing is not right. You will surely wear yourself out, and these
people as well. For the task is too heavy for you; you cannot do it
alone. " (Shemot 18:17-18).

Definition:1. A visual organizer such as a map, web, chart, or diagram that shows relationships. 2. A tool used to arrange thoughts and ideas in an orderly fashion.

One
of the biggest challenges we face in the classroom is keeping our
student's focus and attention, both during class discussions and during
class work time. It is hard for students of any age to focus for long
periods of time, especially if they are only being asked to listen.
While some students are oral learners, very few can actually retain the
information that they hear without doing something else with it.
Random facts are quickly lost. However, the brain's ability to store
pictures is unlimited. Since the brain likes to chunk information, the
graphic organizer complements the way the brain naturally works.
Graphic organizers help students organize and retain information, and

most importantly from a classroom management perspective- they also help students focus.

The "perfect" metaphor. Joey Heyman (Cohort 9) was teaching her 7th grade Mishnah class at Greenfield Hebrew Academy in Atlanta. In trying to explain Tosefta, she referred to them as the film clips that were deleted from the film/left on the floor of the editing room.

Seeing's believing. Ariel Wolgel (Cohort 7) uses a lot of visuals with her 6th grade Mishnah class at Hillel Academy in Farmington Hills, MI.To give the students a better sense of what m'kalkelin b'reshut harabim (Bava Kama
3:3) meant, Ariel used several pictures (courtesy of Google Images)
that showed littering in a public place. To teach them how littering or
leaving animal droppings in reshut harabim (also Bava Kama
3:3) can affect a community, the students watched a news clip about the
lack of clean drinking water in Haiti. During a lesson on Avot, in order to help them understand the Mishnah's view on who is considered wealthy, she showed a video
of Alice the oldest living Holocaust survivor who says that she is the
richest person in the world because she appreciates what she has.

Highlights of learning. Reuven Margrett (cohort
6) has a wall of his classroom at The Frankel Academy in Detroit
dedicated to highlights of the students' Talmudic learning thus far. It
is exciting (even for high school students) to see the number of topics
on the wall expand as the year progresses. We too often 'lose sight of
the forest for the trees', and this type of visual prompt reminds our
students that they are actually making progress.

Summer Curriculum Workshop July 19-August 2

We are still accepting applications for The New
Pardes Summer Curriculum Workshop Fellowship Program. This summer we
will have five non-PEP fellows who will study alongside our novice
teachers. Click here for information to share with your colleagues. As this newsletter goes to print we only have one space remaining.

We
invite all our graduates of Cohorts 8 and 9 (and any others who are
entering their second or third year in the classroom) to join us. Please
be in touch with Debra.

Focus on David Harris-Gershon (Cohort 2)

Profile of a "Missing" Day School Teacher

Name: David Harris-Gershon

Cohort: 2

Backround: Upon completion of the Pardes Educators Program in 2003, Mr.

Harris-Gershon (referred to as Mr. H.G.) moved to Washington, DC,

where he taught middle school and high school for three years at the

Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School. Reports indicate that he thrived at

this school, crafting experiential learning models, such as FBI agencies

for textual explorations and publishing simulations for the creation of

perushim.

Missing: At some point in 2006, Mr. H.G. went missing, disappearing from public

view.He may have moved his family to the coast of North Carolina, writing

and taking creative writing classes, though none of this has been

confirmed and Mr. H.G. appears to no longer be there.

Sightings: Recently, reports have come in that Mr. H.G. has resurfaced in the Jewish

teaching world, at a local day school in Pittsburgh. Sources claim he may

be attempting to teach fourth and fifth graders. (Attempting being the

operative word.)

Contact: If you spot Mr. H.G., contact Pardes or Avi Chai and confirm for them

that Mr. H.G. has returned to the day school classroom.

David currently lives in Pittsburgh, PA with his wife, Jamie

(Cohort 2) and their two children, Mayan and Tali. David teaches at the Community Day School of Pittsburgh.

New Initiatives

We
are working to create new opportunities for our more experienced
educators. Each year we hope to begin an initiative in a specific area
of our work as educators, providing a stipend for those involved. This
year we have begun our Tefilah Action Research initiative in
which we have 12 graduates participating. We will continue to update
you on our progress and will be prepared to present our insights into
the field of Tefilah in day schools in the fall.

We are beginning to think about an initiative for next year. If you have ideas for a topic, please be in touch with Amanda

PEP News

Over
the past few months we've been asking, "Have you given a PEP talk
lately?" Well, your alma mater is getting better all the time... so here
are six new reasons to give a PEP talk!

Model
lessons have undergone a sophisticated upgrade! Now known as PEER
TEACHING, Pardes Educators get the chance to craft lesson plans with the
help of their teaching coaches, teach the other Educators 3-4 times a
year, and analyze and revise their work, while building a collegial
community of peers.

Since
this past summer, ULPAN OR has taken on the Hebrew language instruction
for the Pardes Educators. With small groups, cutting-edge curriculum,
and personally customized classes, the Educators are learning Hebrew at
the "speed of light!"

Spring
2011 - all new ISRAEL EDUCATION TRAINING COURSE, including a review of
key issues relevant to Israel and to the Israel-Arab conflict, with a
view to using these insights and ideas in the classroom.

Spring 2011 - new Hebrew College course on TECHNOLOGY AND JEWISH EDUCATION IN DAY SCHOOLS, which will survey 21st-century technology for the Jewish Studies classroom.

Fall
2011 - new and improved ELEMENTARY SCHOOL EDUCATION TRACK, with
emphasis on Hebrew language, pedagogy for younger children and creative
arts, as well as the well-known Pardes beit midrash learning.

Fall 2011 - an ACCELERATED ONE-YEAR TRACK for applicants at high levels of text study, Hebrew and educational experience.

Feel free to be in touch with Judy or Gail,
regarding any questions you have about these exciting new developments,
and keep the changes in mind when you think about friends or
acquaintances who might be interested in the program. As always, todah rabah!

David Bernstein, Judy
Markose, Amanda Pogany and Susan Wall will be attending the conference.
In addition to networking on behalf of our graduates, the staff will be
meeting with groups of school heads and Judaic Studies directors to

discuss the future needs of the field, in order to further envision the future of PEP. Please let us know if:

You would like us to network for you for job possibilities.

You will be attending the conference, so we can be sure to invite you to an alumni get together.

The
Jewish Day School Standards and Benchmarks Project is currently
recruiting outstanding day schools for its seventh cohort for the
2011-2012 academic school year. For more information please contact Charlotte Abramson.

The David Project is pleased to announce two upcoming Teacher Training Institutes: Understanding the Arab-Israeli Conflict and Israel in Jewish Identity. For more information please contact Stephanie Hoffman (Cohort 6)

The Ramban (Nachmanides) is available online, and as part of Mikranet's

William
Davidson Graduate School of Jewish Education and the Department of
Hebrew Language at JTS are offering a unique opportunity from June
27-July 22, 2011 for 15 qualified day school teachers to enter a Hebrew
immersion program geared for teaching Judaic studies in grades
K-12.Click here for more information and an application.

Ptil Tekhelet is
putting together a special Partners in Innovation program, designed to
bring exciting learning opportunities to the U.S. Please contact Joel Gruberman for more information.

Faculty
Member, Levi Cooper, was recently appointed as Contributing Editor of
the Lookstein Educational Leadership Journal. You can read his latest
article entitled:

Call for papers for the next Educational Leadership Journal. Click here for details.

The Lookstein Center is now on Facebook. Click like and you will receive periodic updates.

Many of you have been enjoying the Spertus College E-Library and the Lookstein Center e-Community.

The Feinberg E-Collection contains the full-text of nearly 16,000 books and 25,000 articles in the area of Jewish studies. Please be in touch with Debra for the user-name and password for both of these resources. Check thewebsite for additional educational resources.